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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bat — the animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. press — to push
  16. chip — to eat
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — a series
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com